Community gaming?

So a week ago a link was passed around about how virtually all informative video game related internet shows (video and audio) suck. (Here.) I can totally understand his opinion. I only listen to one podcast really; well, aside from the Lost podcast, but that’s mandatory. I listen to one video game podcast, and it’s the one I host (host meaning provide webspace for, not perform emcee duties during,) Evil Avatar Radio.

If you stay up to date on all the video game goings on then it won’t provide you with information, just maybe a few laughs. If you’re not into that, you probably shouldn’t bother. But the reason I feel that it works and provides those laughs is because it’s approached more like a bastardized local talk show than an authoritative podcast. As it’s an offshoot from the gaming news-link-site EvilAvatar.com. Our sense of community has really carried over well to the show and as a reader of the site, I feel like a part of the show even when I’m not on it because I know those talking (and being talked about,) relatively well. (Hell, you can even listen live and call in from 10pm-1am Eastern Friday nights.) Also, I would think that a cast of people who work well together would help non-EvAvers get into the feel of things, I would think. After all, a well functioning community is always appealing.

Now, the idea of ‘community podcasting’ is obviously not new. Many TV shows, websites, and other hobbies have their own podcasts. And it’s not just podcasts for communities. Some communities have sprung up around initial podcasts (TWiT, etc.) This lead me to thinking about community gaming. Not just a community about gaming, or even gaming with your community, but rather gaming about your community. If one were to look at gaming as a reflection of the partaking community then it’s easy to see why FPS players are the jocks of the gaming world. FPS’ are all competition, there’s smacktalk, rivalries, and their stars even get endorsement deals. Hardcore MMORPGers are the Amish, who have moved away from our civilization, preferring their own world. And of course who could forget the starving artists of Interactive Fiction?

So, I thought, what if someone were to invert even that? Let’s take a community, and build a game around it. Hell, you could even shove those people into an existing game. Remember how much fun it was to type your friends names into Oregon Trail and see if they’ll make it? Imagine starting up a popular single player game and playing in a world where the cast is a community you’ve known for years. It sounded fun, so, I think I’ll do it.

Oh, and that radio show? Because I’m an attention whore you can hear me in the latest episode, F-Bomb. (Actually, it was after we finished the show when we realized that by recording this on the internet instead of the radio, we could have cussed constantly if we wanted. And we wanted. We just didn’t know Nat hadn’t stopped recording.)